Not the best of all possible worlds

First day back from Spring Break. Snowed the past two days. Five weeks left of school. At least 6 major papers/projects to do for classes, final reports for at least four clients to do by then, not to mention finals. Thesis.

Motivation: zero.

Worst part? After spring semester is over, I get to launch right back into summer classes and clinic. Woot.

My heart is singing

DeVotchKa + Au Revoir Simone = Amazingness

We just came back from seeing these two incredible bands at a live taping of Etown. I'm amazed my head didn't explode when they were both on the stage and doing a song together.

If you haven't heard them before, they are both well worth a listen. DeVotchKa did the music for Little Miss Sunshine (AKA my favorite movie ever). Au Revoir Simone is pretty, keyboard-y dreamy music with girl vocals.

I think I love both of them even more after seeing them in person. DeVotchKa was all drama, rich and evocative with their somewhat formal clothes and the string quartet backing them up (not to mention the mouth-accordion, I think, and the double bass-playing sousaphone player). Au Revoir Simone made me feel like I too could get up there and play incredible music (even though I so could not) with their so-out-they're-in long hair and bangs and their school-girl jumpers. They looked like the very much cooler version of who I wanted to be in junior high.

This is where I would post one song from each of the bands just so you can be exposed to the amazingess that is them, but I don't know how to do that. Instead, Google "Hype Machine," then type in "Au Revoir Simone" and "Devotchka." Enjoy.

Super-Awesome Baby Day

Today, my little guy who is almost 2 and was non-verbal 4 months ago said my name. Actually, he said, "Hi Shannon," clear as day. I seriously very nearly cried. I take no credit for his amazing advances (and they are truly amazing from day to day), but I am so excited to be able to be a part of it and to see his development. He continues to amaze us and it is super, super cool. I've never seen anything like it. Literally, every day we see him (twice a week), he does something else that makes our jaws drop. Never underestimate a child. They will always surprise you.

I love, love, love my school-clinic.

Click Click Click Click Camera

I am updating my iPhoto library and so am watching all 1,271 of my pictures from 2007 flash before my eyes. It's fun watching your whole year in review and has brought back a lot of great memories.

Also, I take a lot of pictures. My poor laptop and external hard drive are whirling like mad to try to stay cool under such pressure.

Edited to add: Apparently, those 1,271 pictures were just in one folder. I really took over 7,000 pictures last year. That seems more like it, sadly.

Spring forward!

I saw my first crocuses of the season, and didn't have my camera with me :-(

We have a clock that automatically knows the time... but I can never tell if it knows about Daylight Savings and so I woke up at 9:30 praying it knew (otherwise it would have been 10:30 and I have SO much to do today!).

The sky is bright blue with puffy white clouds today. Idyllic spring sky.


Spring break is only two weeks away. THANK GOD.

The semester is already more than half over. Uh oh. But also: Yay.

There will be at least two more major snowstorms. This is March in Colorado, and this is historically our snowiest month.

Spring=summer soon. Hooray!!!

Netflixing a relationship

I never really realize how different Peter's taste in movies can be from mine until we go through rating Netflix movies. We'll even have watched a movie together and discussed it, and still I will be surprised when he "likes" a movie and rates it 2-3 stars, when I've given it 5. Those movies we both love are relatively few and far between, and frankly, I can't predict when that will happen. I now know when he will hate a movie though. Usually it's the movies I love for a specific reason: they are quirky, they have unique cinematography, and/or they have a beautiful color palette. I think the only movie like this that he liked as well was Little Miss Sunshine. I'm very, very happy we could agree on that one.

That said, it's always nice to get a different perspective on someone you know so well. It's nice when people surprise you.

Story of my school life

I get excited by a class, talk a lot, ask questions and answer them, maybe question some of the teacher's points to clarify. Then the teacher tires of this, feels threatened, wants to teach the class at a more basic level, or something else unknown happens. They then use different tactics, but the result is always the same. I feel stupid for talking, I get frustrated or am belittled (granted, I am extremely sensitive, and I'm sure they never ever actually mean to hurt me). And so I stop talking. And usually cry. I stop paying attention because it is the only way to survive. Otherwise I would just cry all the way through class, which I certainly have done before.

I shouldn't be surprised by now, though I don't really know what, if anything, I can change to prevent this from happening. I know whatever I do is just because I am interested and interested in the truth and clarity, but it must not be received that way. Oh well, I'll just be quiet in class now and try to avoid getting her attention.

Edited to add: Oh, and then I get depressed for the rest of the day because I feel worthless. Nice.

Never boring

Colorado weather, that is. Yesterday, we got a sunburn and lolled about on a 75 degree sunny day. This morning, I couldn't see out of our window for the blizzarding snow. Don't like the weather? Wait a day.

Luckily, this unpredictable springtime means... spring flowers will soon be here!

Reasons why people stand alone in public places

1. Taking a smoke break
2. Talking on their cell
3. Waiting for someone
4. Waiting to attack someone
5. Lost
6. Lost in thought
7. Taking a picture
8. Contemplating the universe
9. Just looking suspicious